Virginia ramping up efforts to prevent spread of Zika virus

(AP) – With temperatures heating up and anxiety about the Zika virus growing, Virginia officials are racing to educate the public and ramp up measures to track and combat mosquitoes that can carry the disease.

The state is preparing to launch an aggressive public awareness campaign and distribute thousands of Zika prevention kits to pregnant women.
    
They’re also getting the state lab ready to test mosquitoes for the virus and putting plans in place to assist dozens of communities across Virginia that lack local mosquito control programs.
    
Experts say the public can play a big role in preventing the spread of Zika by disrupting mosquitoes’ breeding grounds in their backyards.
    
The mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika breed in containers often found around people’s homes, like gutters and overturned flower pots.